The object of the present invention is the use of a laser to weld fibrin or collagen to repair periodontal disease and enhance bone reconstitution in the healing of periodontal pockets. The technique can also be used for the repair of cracked teeth.
It has been demonstrated that the use of collagen helps in the repair of periodontal problems. According to one example, implants of collagen are positioned on calcium phosphate packed where bone is missing after recession due to a disease. In a procedure according to this example, periodontal surgery is usually performed to clean the recessed area by removing granulation tissue and cleaning the cementum of the adjacent teeth. Then, the missing bone is filled with a mass of calcium phosphate or hydroxyapatite constituting a graft. Then the collagen implant is positioned at the location of the bone recession and the flap of gingiva is sutured to close the diseased area. The collagen prevents the epithelium from invading the graft. This procedure has been found to promote acceleration of the healing process and reconstruction of bone by replacing or penetrating the graft.
In the field of dentistry, lasers have been used to cut diseased soft tissue. In the field of orthopedics, lasers have been used under experimental conditions to weld a fibrin clot on a meniscus in a joint. Fibrin clot is known in orthopedics to be used to repair cartilage without laser welding or to suture peripheral nerves. References include Forman et al, "Laser Effects on Fibrin Clot . . . ", SPIE Vol. 1424, Lasers in Orthopedics, Dental and Veterinary Medicine 2 (1991).
The laser used in previous studies was a semiconductor gallium aluminum arsenide laser.